New York Mills pet owners are reminded to stop by the city offices and obtain the proper dog and cat licenses for their furry companions.

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The city's animal ordinance regulations state that all cats and dogs over the age of six months kept, harbored, or maintained by their owners in the city shall be licensed and registered with the city.

No license shall be granted for a dog or cat that has not been vaccinated against rabies and distemper, as evidenced by a certificate by a veterinarian qualified to practice in the state in which the dog or cat is vaccinated.

Tags must be permanently attached to each animal's collar and worn at all times. They are not transferable to any other animal or to the new owner of an animal.

Dogs and cats must be on a leash, accompanied and controlled by a responsible person whenever they are off of their owner's property. A person who owns, harbors, or keeps a dog or cat which runs at large shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.

'Nuisance' animals may be impounded

Animals that fall into the following categories are subject to impoundment.

-Habitual barking: It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or harbor a dog that habitually barks or cries. Habitual barking shall be defined as barking for repeated intervals of at least five minutes with less than one minute of interruption.

-Damage to property: It shall be unlawful for any person's dog or other animal to damage any lawn, garden, or other property, whether or not the owner has knowledge of the damage.

-Cleaning up litter: The owner of any animal or person having the custody or control of any animal shall be responsible for cleaning up any feces of the animal and disposing of the feces in a sanitary manner whether on their own property, on the property of others or on public property.

Impounding regulations

Any unlicensed animal running at large is declared a public nuisance and any animal control officer or police officer may impound any dog or other animal found unlicensed.

Any animal that has not been inoculated by a live modified rabies vaccine and which has bitten any person, wherin the skin has been punctured or the services of a doctor are required, shall be confined in the city pound for a period of not less than ten days, at the expense of the animal's owner.

Release fees of $20 per dog and/or $10 per cat, plus actual pound fees, must be paid by the animal's owner.

Keeping four or more dogs constitutes a "kennel" and is not allowed. A fresh litter of pups may be kept for a period of six months, during which time the "kennel" term does not apply.

For a complete copy of New York Mills' Animal Ordinance No. 113, contact the city office at 218-385-2213.